My mother, like so many other mothers, is a treasure house of tales. But with a twist - she is the hero of all her stories. More than the classical tales of Mahabharata and Ramayana, more than the O Henry's and Guy de Maupassant's I devoured whilst growing up, her tales were the ones which had the deepest influence. How her resilience won over indignities piled on her in a traditional Indian family, how she turned the tables in favor of a charity she was working with when a government official poured caste slurs on her, how her relentless kindness won over a trouble-loving...
My mother, like so many other mothers, is a treasure house of tales. But with a twist - she is the hero of all her stories. More than the classical tales of Mahabharata and Ramayana, more than the O Henry's and Guy de Maupassant's I devoured whilst growing up, her tales were the ones which had the deepest influence. How her resilience won over indignities piled on her in a traditional Indian family, how she turned the tables in favor of a charity she was working with when a government official poured caste slurs on her, how her relentless kindness won over a trouble-loving neighbor.
A lot of what I am, I realize, is because of those tales.
But here's what started happening as I grew.
I thought the tales were narcissistic, as they only talked about the glory of her. For a time, I started to just walk away when she commenced her stories.
Till one day, I was telling my son about something I'd done which had won me accolades in office, and in a flash of epiphany I realized what my mum had been doing for years.
Our stories of victory or loss, of kindness and redemption, of things which went well, and which didn't, are our character sketches - where we could be either perfect villains or flawed heroes, but where we realize how our learnings are a talisman, and our stories of wounds our one true memorable legacy.
If you liked this poem, consider listening to these other poems celebrating our mothers:
- My Mother's Lines
- Kintsugi
- Kripa (a blessing from a daughter)
- How Mothers are Nature's Return Gifts
Find other magical things, like a lovely free chapbook of poems, and other resources here.
Uncut Poetry has started a new Podcast called Red River Sessions (on Spotify, iTunes, Pocket Casts, etc), where we will talk to published poets, about their poetry, their craft and what haunts them. It is brought to you by Red River, which is the premier independent publisher of poetry books, and Uncut Poetry.
I am Sunil Bhandari.
I am a poet based out of India. My book of poetry 'Of Love and Other Abandonments' was an Amazon bestseller. My second book is 'Of Journeys & Other Ways to Get Lost'. Both are available on Amazon.
Follow me on Instagram at @sunilgivesup.
Get in touch with me on uncutpoetrynow@gmail.com
The details of the music used in this episode are as follows -
Sunset Fields by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7979-sunset-fields
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
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